In one aspect, the present invention provides non-stick, pyrolytic coatings for heating devices. In a particular aspect, the present invention provides non-stick, pyrolytic coatings, which are particularly useful for self-cleaning heating devices.
Heating devices such as ovens, irons, and cooking surfaces, are often covered with a hard and resistant layer so that foodstuffs, starch, dirt, and the like that can build up on surfaces of these devices during use may be readily cleaned. For example, the walls of an oven are often coated with a smooth enamel coating so that foodstuffs do not permanently adhere to the surface when the oven is in a self-cleaning mode. Self-cleaning modes for current surface finishes may generally require exposing the oven interior to temperatures in excess of 850° F., to completely ash the attached foodstuffs, thereby permitting the end user to wipe away the resulting ash from the surface.
Because of the high temperatures used during the self-cleaning mode, a significant amount of thermal insulation about the oven interior may be desirable to prevent damage to the electronics. For example, wiring currently used to operate the oven typically requires special high-temperature insulation, which may represent additional overhead in the manufacture of the oven. To reduce the cost associated with the insulation and enable design changes within the oven chamber, it may be desirable to reduce the self-cleaning temperatures. A lower temperature self-cleaning cycle may allow use of conventional insulation in wiring, latches, door construction, fans, and the like, thereby reducing the overall cost and enabling additional product enhancement.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved coatings used in heating devices so as to improve cleanability, as well as reduce costs associated with current heating device design.